Trio (stylized as TR!O) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid ...

. Trio went on the air in 1994, then originally owned and operated jointly by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

and Power Broadcasting Inc. (a subsidiary of

Power Corporation of Canada Power Corporation of Canada () is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfol ...

) along with 24-hour international news channel Newsworld International. The channel served as a venue for airing the CBC's arts, culture and entertainment programming in the U.S. It was sold to

USA Networks The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 2000, and was subsequently transferred to

Vivendi Universal Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...

and later

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

. With the slogan, "pop, culture, TV", Trio programming under Vivendi/NBC Universal ownership focused on television as a cultural tool and art form. In January 2005, Trio was dropped from

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

, eliminating about two-thirds of the homes that could receive the network. On November 21, 2005, NBC Universal announced that the Trio brand would be transferred to a

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

Internet TV initiative under the Bravotv.com banner on January 1, 2006. Cable and satellite providers still carrying Trio were offered a new NBC Universal cable network instead, called Sleuth, which was renamed Cloo in 2011. On February 1, 2017, Cloo would shut down, thus the channel space once occupied by Trio ceased to exist.

Notable Trio programs

Original

* '' The N-Word'', Peabody Award–winning documentary starring

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

and many other African American celebrities discussing the origin and power of the word ''

nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...

''.64th Annual Peabody Awards
May 2005. * ''Outlaw Comic: The Censoring of

Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—wa ...

'', documentary hosted by Janeane Garofalo, focusing on his David Letterman appearances, especially his last one, where he was cut from the program. * ''The Award Show Awards Show'', examination of America's obsession with awards * ''The Christmas Special Christmas Special'' * ''Film Fanatic'', cinema, hosted by

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both ''The Mandalorian'' (2019–2020) and '' The Book of Boba Fett'' (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the ...

* ''Flops 101: Lessons from the Biz'' * ''TV's Most Censored Moments'', a documentary about censorship in television. * ''The Blockbuster Imperative'', a documentary about Hollywood's obsession with blockbuster movies.

Reruns

* '' Adrenaline Junkies (a.k.a. Medivac)'' * ''

Airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

'' * '' All Saints'' * ''

Battle of the Network Stars ''Battle of the Network Stars'' is a series of competitions in which television stars from ABC, CBS and NBC would compete in various sporting events. A total of 19 of these competitions were held between 1976 and 1988, all of which were aired b ...

'' * '' Black Harbour'' * ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian Police procedural, police drama series that was produced by Endemol Australia, Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, ...

'' * ''

Brides of Christ ''Brides of Christ'' is an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 94 The series takes place behind the walls of a Sy ...

'' * '' Bugs'' * '' Coming Home'' * '' Coronation Street'' * '' Counterstrike'' * '' Cracker'' * ''The

Dame Edna Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, th ...

Experience'' * ''

The Damnation of Harvey McHugh ''The Damnation of Harvey McHugh'' was an Australian television miniseries made by the ABC. The series consists of 12 episodes and was first broadcast on the ABC in 1994 from 2 June to 18 August of that year. Overview Cast and crew The series wa ...

'' * ''

Deepwater Black ''Deepwater Black'' is a 1992 novel, first in the Deepwater trilogy, by the New Zealand science fiction writer Ken Catran, where a cast of young characters are supposedly stranded in space while a virus ravages Earth. The book series itself is q ...

'' * ''

Degrassi ''Degrassi'' is a Canadian television franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It is centred on a multigenerational teen drama about an ensemble cast of teenagers attending the namesake Toronto school as they navigate their ...

'' * '' Dog House'' * '' The Dreamstone'' (airs 1995) * '' Duggan'' * '' EGG, the Arts Show'' * '' E.N.G.'' * '' The Fifth Estate'' * '' Flightpath (Canadian TV series)'' * ''

Good Guys, Bad Guys ''Good Guys, Bad Guys'' was an Australian comedy/drama TV series that screened on the Nine Network between 1997 and 1998, with a telemovie and twenty-six episodes produced. The crime-themed show was set in Melbourne. The program and its lead ch ...

'' * '' Hot Type'' * ''

Judy Garland Show Christmas Special ''The Judy Garland Show'' is an American musical variety television series that aired on CBS on Sunday nights during the 1963–1964 television season. Despite a sometimes stormy relationship with Judy Garland, CBS had found success with severa ...

'' * '' Kath & Kim'' * '' Late Night with David Letterman'' * '' The Little Flying Bears'' (airs 1996) * ''

The Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' is a Canadian television series (French title: ''Le Vagabond'') based upon a 1958 well-known film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived fo ...

'' * '' London's Burning'' * '' Madison'' * '' Max Glick'' * '' McCallum'' * '' MediaTelevision'' * '' Mercury'' * '' Mr. Dressup'' * '' Mysterious Island'' * '' Nancherrow'' * '' The Nature of Things'' * ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

'' * '' North of 60'' * '' Northwood'' * ''

Once Upon a Hamster ''Tales of the Riverbank'', sometimes called ''Hammy Hamster'' and ''Once Upon a Hamster'' for the Canadian version, is a British children's television series developed from a Canadian Television pilot, pilot. The original series was later broa ...

'' * '' Pink Lady'' * ''

Queen for a Day ''Queen for a Day'' is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. ''Queen for a Day'' originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, i ...

'' * ''

The Raccoons ''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...

'' (airs 1997) * ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

'' * '' SCTV'' * ''

The Secret Rulers of the World ''The Secret Rulers of the World'' is a five-part documentary film, documentary series, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder Productions and written, directed by, and featuring Jon Ronson. The series was first shown on British ...

'' * ''

Sessions at West 54th ''Sessions at West 54th'' is an American television program that featured music performances, and was in some ways a pop music variation on the theme set by the long-lived ''Austin City Limits'', though the featured musicians represented a number ...

'' * ''

Spaced ''Spaced'' is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes farcical and action-packed) misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bi ...

'' * '' Street Legal'' * ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

'' * '' Traders'' * '' Undercurrents'' * ''

A Very British Coup ''A Very British Coup'' is a 1982 novel by British politician Chris Mullin. The novel has twice been adapted for television; as '' A Very British Coup'' in 1988 and as '' Secret State'' in 2012. Plot Harry Perkins is the left-wing Leader of th ...

'' * '' Young People's Concerts''

''Brilliant But Cancelled''

This was the umbrella title under which Trio aired repeats of series that had very short lives on mainstream broadcast television, yet were still considered to be programming that "broke the mold" of what was normally expected from the " Big Three" networks. Series that appeared under the ''Brilliant But Cancelled'' umbrella included: * ''

Action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

'' * '' Bakersfield P.D.'' * ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'' * ''Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging'' * '' Diner'' (pilot) * ''

East Side/West Side ''East Side/West Side'' is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and, later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for one season (1963–1964), and was shown Monday nights on CBS. Set in New York City ...

'' * '' The Ernie Kovacs Show'' * '' EZ Streets'' * '' Fargo'' (pilot) * ''

God, the Devil and Bob ''God, the Devil and Bob'' is an American animated sitcom which aired on NBC from March 9 to March 28, 2000, leaving nine episodes unaired. It was created by Matthew Carlson. The entire series was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States ...

'' * '' Johnny Staccato'' * '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' * '' L.A. Confidential'' (pilot) * '' Lookwell'' (pilot) * ''

Now and Again ''Now and Again'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Glenn Gordon Caron that aired from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the ...

'' * '' Parenthood'' * '' Profit'' * ''

The PJs ''The PJs'' is an American adult animated stop-motion black sitcom created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Cabrini–Green housing projects in Chicago. ...

'' * ''

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

'' ''Brilliant But Cancelled'' was later used by Universal as a title for a series of DVDs that feature samples of short-lived series. Two of these have been released so far—one of these a sampler of short-lived crime drama series; another was selected episodes of ''EZ Streets''.

''Flops''

Special airing of shows that flopped. * ''

Cop Rock ''Cop Rock'' is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concludin ...

'' * '' My Mother the Car'' * '' Pink Lady and Jeff'' ('' The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer'' was supposed to air, but was pulled due to the controversial nature of the program, which played for laughs the relationship between a black nobleman and President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Schedule Lineup

Kids Block

08:00 AM — ''

'' 08:30 AM — ''

'' 09:00 AM — '' Mr. Dressup'' 09:30 AM — ''

'' 10:00 AM — ''The Raccoons'' 10:30 AM — ''Once Upon a Hamster'' 11:00 AM — ''Mr. Dressup'' 11:30 AM — ''The Littlest Hobo''

Lifestyle

12:00 PM — Taste of Life 12:30 PM — Canadian Gardener

Red Hot Dramas

01:00 PM — ''

'' 02:00 PM — '' North of 60'' 03:00 PM — '' Street Legal'' 04:00 PM — '' Murdoch Mysteries''

After-School Theatre

05:00 PM - '' Northwood'' 05:30 PM - (Monday; '' Max Glick'') 05:30 PM - (Tuesday; '' Mysterious Island'') 05:30 PM - (Wednesday; '' Dog House'') 05:30 PM - (Thursday; ''

'') 05:30 PM - (Friday; '' Madison'') 06:00 PM - (Saturday; ''

'') 06:30 PM - (Saturday; '' Street Cents'')

In-Style

06:00 PM — '' SCTV'' 06:30 PM — ''

Fashion File ''Fashion File'' was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television and CBC Newsworld, as well as internationally in syndication, from 1989 to 2009. The series covered fashion industry news. Fashion File was created and developed bKaren ...

References

External links

''Variety'' Review
of ''TV's Most Censored Moments''
''Variety'' Review
of ''The Award Show Awards Show'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Trio (Tv Network) Former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television networks Defunct television networks in the United States NBCUniversal networks Peabody Award winners Power Corporation of Canada Television channels and stations disestablished in 2006 Television channels and stations established in 1994